Leicester Tigers now up to 8 South African players

Ringfencing won't stop this as clubs will still be trying to be as high in the table to qualify for European placings and prize money. 

Former Gloucester owner Ryan Walkinshaw admitted that the development of academy players was "Low down the priority reasons to Ringfence the Premiership" on Twitter a couple of years ago. 

I am surprised in the post Brexit employment/visa world that some of these players qualify for work permits. 

I was brought up there and they are good players, but you wouldn't find the reverse happening.

We all need to remember that race, background, origin should be supported and welcomed into our amazing sport, if it is going to add value to the game....

Comments such as X number to South Africans joining Leicester Tigers will only lead to discrimination 

I've said it before and I will say it again, the recruitment by any Premiership club of an overseas signing (no matter the country) throws up a series of questions about the Academy structure, the players within and the coaching. 

With the exception of the 'Marque' player (and to me that is some one who has represented their country at the highest level on a good number of occassions), clubs shouldn't need to look outside of this country for their players. 

If they are doing, you must question why. Is it because the Academies are not producing the type of player that clubs require - if not, why not. What are the coaches doing to rectify this? Or is it because the recuitment of players into the academies is off kilter? Again, what is being done to resolve this?

Or is that the Academy player is not being given game time to develop in the Premiership because the clubs recruit overseas players therefore create a Catch 22 of their making?

Hopefully the post Brexit visa environment will cut back on the number of overseas players. It will take some kind of official intervention to do because I fear the clubs won't do it themselves. 

 

It was always my understanding that the RFU "gave" the Clubs x £s to run Academies to produce EQP players. In the early years that happened for instance Leeds Academy turned out decent EQP players at a really high rate who then went on to other Clubs. Then all of a sudden that changed, more Academies started to allow players with no English qualifications backgrounds to join. Now I'm not saying they shouldn't but if you provide funding to help young players develop in to international class players then it should be more swayed in favour of EQP. Take a look at Cameron Redpath, son of a Scottish International, went thru the AASE and Academy system at Sale and played Age Grade Rugby for England, why did he play for England? Because he was classed as eligible having been in the Academy system. He then leaves Sale to join Bath and shows enough class for Scotland to reel him back in. The thing is the SRU spent diddly squat in his development.

 

How do we square that circle? Firstly make it a condition that all English Academies must have 95% EQP, anyone holding a possible dual nationality must be told that if they have change allegiance to another national union that national union must pay some form of compensation to that Academy to re:invest back in to game in England.  

In South Africa they have a very competitive schools rugby system Every year they have inter provincial competitions and the big clubs like Blue Bulls send scouts to sign players up.

I presume some of these players get signed up, play a bit, realise that they probably won't make it to the first team and come here. Others come here for the money after a few years at top level. Some go to Japan.

So you have a surplus of good, motivated players who want to earn more money.

We have clubs who want the complete article, much like the Association Football clubs. They want to win and training youngsters is obviously expensive and a total drag.